Gaskets are mechanical devices used to provide a leak-tight seal between two slightly irregular mating surfaces, such as an enclosure and its doors and accessories. In many indoor and outdoor applications, a properly mounted, well-performing gasket is critical to the protection of sensitive electrical and electronic equipment inside the enclosure. Gaskets can be used to exclude matter in the external environment such as dust, dirt, and water, from entering an enclosure.
Strip gaskets are a commonly used type of gasket for sealing, enclosures. When installing strip gaskets, manufacturers may adhere rolls, or strips of a gasket to an enclosure surface and then cut the strip to an exact measurement. Strip gaskets typically have a single layer of adhesive on one side of the gasket which allows it to adhere to a desired surface. Because the gaskets were in a roll prior to installation, the gaskets may have a curved shape which can cause a void or space to appear between the strip gasket and a surface on which the strip gasket is applied. These voids or spaces can allow water or other particulate matter to enter the enclosure under the gasket.
Further, multiple pieces of strip gaskets may be used to completely cover a desired surface. However, when multiple pieces of strip gaskets are connected together to cover a desired surface, this method of installation creates a seam in each corner or joint between the interconnecting gasket pieces. These seams may make the gasket more vulnerable to wear and damage over time.
Strip gaskets applied to enclosure doors during assembly at a manufacturing plant also tend to get stretched during the assembly operation. The strip gaskets are placed into the enclosure doors and then cut to match tightly at the corners. A tight fit between the pieces of the strip gaskets is critical in attempting keeping water or other particulate matter out of the enclosure. Stretched gaskets will shrink to their original length over time, causing them to separate from one another. This separation allows water and other matter to penetrate under the gasket at the gasket joints.
Therefore, there exists a need for a strip gasket which will not stretch, while also preventing water and other matter from entering under the gasket and into an enclosure.